Best influencer boxing moments of 2022: Jake Paul, Creator Clash, Chessboxing, more
DexertoInfluencer boxing continues to reign as a hugely popular trend, with creators from all platforms itching to get inside the ring. This year, several jaw-dropping influencer boxing moments stole the show.
Although names like Jake Paul and KSI might be synonymous with the sport, some of 2022’s best creator boxing moments didn’t involve long-awaited grudge matches or attempts at going pro.
Events like Creator Clash and the Mogul Chessboxing Championship brought a breath of fresh air to the influencer boxing scene, alongside several unconventional matchups and a load of cash that was raised for charity.
We’ve gathered some of the best influencer boxing moments of 2022 in a year jam-packed with big fights, unprecedented events, and even greater anticipation for the future.
JustaMinx vs Yodeling Haley at Creator Clash
2022’s Creator Clash featured the first female match in influencer boxing history. iDubbz’s boxing event was the first of its kind, pitting together a slew of unconventional creators against each other in the boxing ring with the aim of raising money for charity.
Twitch star JustaMinx notably faced off against TikToker Yodeling Haley in a fight that had everyone in the Yuengling Center on their feet. The two women were extremely scrappy and gave it their all throughout the bout, with JustaMinx ultimately taking the victory by TKO.
Their match marked a major first for the world of influencer boxing and has since inspired many other female influencers to get into the ring — including Astrid Wett, who notably took part in one of KSI’s Misfits Boxing x DAZN events later in the year.
KSI defeats Swarmz & Pineda in two fights, one night
YouTube star KSI is officially back in the boxing ring after taking nearly two years off from fighting following his viral matches against Logan Paul.
KSI’s first match of the year encountered some difficulties, at first; although he was initially slated to take on Alex Wassabi, but a purported sparring injury caused his opponent to back out.
In the end, KSI ended up choosing British rapper Swarmz as his replacement — as well as take a second fight against Mexican pro boxer Luis Pineda.
Although it wasn’t the first time a boxer had taken on two opponents in a single event, it was a first for influencer boxing, and one that KSI absolutely smashed. Taking two victories in one night, the British influencer is now looking forward to another bout against Dillon Danis in January 2023.
Temperrr wins appeal against King Kenny
FaZe Temperrr’s boxing match against King Kenny became a major point of contention among fans and resulted in a saga that’s still talked about months later.
The issue began at Showstar’s UK vs USA boxing event in March, where the two influencers fought in the co-main event on the Deji vs Alex Wassabi card. Despite Temperrr appearing to have the upper hand on his opponent throughout their bout, judges awarded King Kenny the victory, sparking outrage online.
Temperrr ended up filing an appeal to the commission to reverse their decision — and three days later, he won, officially taking the victory after days of confusion and derision rocked the influencer boxing scene.
Andrea Botez goes the distance against Dina Belenkaya
Ludwig’s highly-anticipated Mogul Chessboxing Championship married three different disciplines into two unconventional sports: Smashboxing and Chessboxing. On a card stacked with Smash pros and chess savants alike were Twitch star and chess pro Andrea Botez, alongside Woman Grandmaster Dina Belenkaya.
This marked another major female influencer boxing match in the space — and one of the most hype fights of the evening. Their bout had everyone in the Galen Center on their feet as both fighters went all in during the boxing portion of their match.
Despite Andrea’s best attempts, Belenkaya ended up taking the victory by checkmate — and although Botez hit back with some trash talk at the end, the two fighters made up backstage, making for yet another groundbreaking moment in the scene.
iDubbz vs Doctor Mike at Creator Clash
Creator Clash stands as one of the most successful influencer boxing events of the year, managing to raise over $1 million for charities like the American Heart Association, the Alzheimer’s Association of America, and Healing Horse Therapy Center.
The main fight of the evening took place between YouTuber iDubbbz and doctor-turned-influencer Doctor Mike. Although both creators trained hard for the bout, Doctor Mike’s years of experience in combat sports paid off, as he ultimately won their bout by unanimous decision after trading blows with iDubbbz for five rounds.
What makes their bout even more impressive is the fact that both fighters were under the impression they were only boxing for four three-minute rounds. However, the rules suddenly changed in middle of the bout, with both fighters ultimately going for five rounds.
Although there was some controversy surrounding this moment, both YouTubers ended up duking it out for a good cause — and another Creator Clash event is on the horizon.
Disguised Toast vs PointCrow at Mogul Chessboxing
Perhaps one of the greatest influencer boxing moments of 2022 was the final match of the year between Twitch star Disguised Toast and YouTuber PointCrow. The two faced off in the main event of the night on Ludwig’s Mogul Chessboxing extravaganza, where both influencers displayed impressive tenacity and showed off their boxing training for an audience of thousands.
Most surprising was Disguised Toast’s ferocity in the ring. The usually mild-mannered streamer went toe to toe with his opponent with no qualms, seamlessly transitioning from the chessboard to his boxing gloves.
(Match begins at 4:11:00)
That being said, PointCrow ended up taking the W in the end by checkmate (on top of giving his rival a concussion). Both influencers wowed the crowd, sending off 2022 with a bang that will be remembered for years to come.
Jake Paul knocks down Anderson Silva
Of course, we can’t mention influencer boxing and leave out Jake Paul. The youngest Paul brother has become one of the biggest faces in the scene thanks to his many fights over the past four years, having taken on former combat sports pros and top athletes, alike.
Although Paul’s 2022 boxing career got off to a rough start (no thanks to Tommy Fury’s travel troubles), he scored one of the biggest influencer boxing matches yet – a fight with MMA legend Anderson Silva.
This fight marked a huge step in Paul’s goals as a pro boxer and was the first influencer fight ‘The Spider’ had ever taken. In quite possibly the hardest fight of Jake’s life, both boxers went a full eight rounds, with Paul even knocking his opponent down on the canvas at one point.
Although many fans pinned Silva as the favorite, Jake ended up winning their match by unanimous decision in a turn of events that not many saw coming.
For now, it’s unclear who Jake’s next opponent will be – but if 2022 is anything to go by, it’s clear that both he and other influencers have big plans for the year ahead.